Ethnic Groups Of The Dominican Republic

Most Dominicans have some degree of concurrent European, Native Carinbean, and African ancestries.

Young and friendly people of the Dominican Republic on the streets of San Jose de Ocoa.

The Dominican Republic is one of the countries with the majority of the population being multiracial. Since 1960, the body mandated to collect the statistics refrained from the collection of racial data. Before then, such features were got from observation and not direct interrogation. In the past, it experienced problems with racism in which the whites were considered at the very top of their castes. The multiracial people were in the second place and finally there were the blacks who were disregarded by the rest and often subjected to slavery.

Ethnic Groups Of The Dominican Republic

Mulatto, Mestizo, Or Multiracial (Mixed Ancestry)

They make up about 72% of the entire population. They are the majority in the country. They are descendants from the racial integration between the Blacks and the Whites. They have a total population of over 8 million.

White Dominican (European Ancestry)

They make up 16% of the entire population. The presence of the whites on the island dates back to the founding of the La Isabela which was one of the European settlements in the Americas. The presence of gold and other precious minerals attracted Spaniards who were seeking easy wealth. Their attempts to enslave the natives were unsuccessful as the natives succumbed to diseases. Those that were left did not make good slaves. Later when the mines were depleted, they left the island for other areas such as Mexico and Venezuela. In the 18th century, there was a surge in the white population again as they came and sought to occupy the region through colonization. When the areas attained their independence, there was again a decrease in their numbers, but some remained behind who are the ancestors of the current white Dominicans.

Black Dominican (African Ancestry)

They constitute 11% of the country’s population. They are the descendants of the former slaves who were brought into the country. When slavery was abolished, they remained free citizens who could not go back but settled and got married in their new country. Most of their ancestors had come from West and Central Africa regions.

Arabs, Asians, And Other Groups Of People

They are the minority making up 1% of the whole country’s population. Some of them have been moving to the continent to work on the agricultural lands, mines, and factories among others. Some of them are Jews, Chinese and the Japanese who got into the country to meet the workforce needed in the country in the various sectors of the economy.

Integration In The Country

The diverse individuals in the country have resulted from years of migration and immigration into and away from the country. The white settlers on the continent who both came to get wealth and colonize the natives are directly responsible for the current population of the white people. The mulatto came from the intermarriage and racial integration between the whites and the blacks. The blacks in the country trace their ancestry to the slaves that were brought to the continent. In spite of the challenges earlier on related to interracial problems, discrimination has ceased and the authorities responsible for the statistics never take racial data.